Method, a Wire Roller and Use Thereof for Surface Treatment of an Object

ABSTRACT

According to the invention, a method is used for surface treatment of objects ( 7 ), wherein wire rollers ( 15 ) are caused to contact the object ( 7 ) to exert a blow or hammer impact, which wire rollers ( 15 ) partly rotate ( 8 ), partly revolve ( 12 ), partly move ( 14 ) transversely to the object ( 7 ) on the belt ( 11 ). This ensures an effective and completely uniform treatment (knocking-off, cleaning) of surface coatings, including oxide layers, by a non-abrasive or non-cutting treatment, but solely an impact stress. A rotating wire roller ( 15 ) may advantageously be used, which roller is composed of wire elements ( 1, 2, 3 ) mounted on stays ( 4 ) so that they may bounce slightly rearwards ( 9 ) at impact, and otherwise remain in the same position by means of the centrifugal force and the engagement of the wire end with an adjacent stay ( 4 ).

THE PRIOR ART

The invention relates to a method for surface treatment of an object, which is preferably placed on a conveyor belt with a view to being advanced and treated by wires on one or more rotating wire rollers, as well as a wire roller for performing the method, and use thereof.

Surface treatment of this type is carried out in various ways and by means of various tools.

Where the object is to be subjected to a cutting treatment, abrasive or scraping tools have to be used in order to clean the surface by removal of both the coating as well as a portion of the object.

This, however, involves removal of useful material to a greater or smaller degree, and also the risk that the removal is different in dependence on the shape and type of the material.

To avoid these drawbacks of the cutting treatment, it is known to brush the surface using a roller having plastics or metal wires. These wires serve as bristles, but will only be able to remove fixed deposits, such as oxide layers and the like, to a limited extent.

Further, DE 10 2004 029 294, U.S. Pat. No. 3,958,294 and GB 1 537 440 disclose wire rollers, all of which are composed of stays on which a wire eye, which is provided on a piece of wire, may rotate, so that, at rotation, it will be rotated into contact with the surface of the object by means of the centrifugal force.

It is common to these known tools that the free piece of wire, which is to treat the object, is arranged such that it may be rotated during the treatment, as it will be rotated backwards when striking the object. This means that the object is subjected to a dissimilar impact stress depending on the backwards rotation of the wire that takes place and the elasticity of the wire itself.

THE OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The object of the invention is to improve the surface treatment, and this is achieved according to the invention by using a method wherein each wire roller rotates about a shaft extending radially from a revolving shaft which revolves, and wherein the revolving shaft and the wire rollers are moved transversely to the conveyor belt at the same time, so that the object is treated from all sides with a uniform impact stress from the wires on the wire rollers.

In this surprisingly simple manner the method will bring about a completely uniform impact which will be able to remove coatings, both unevenly distributed coatings, such as soft shells, and fixed smooth coatings, such as oxide layers, layers of paint, burrs, etc.

Apart from the removal of coatings, the method will not affect the object in any way, since the object is left cleaned without any damage. Thus, “inox” may be deburred without damaging the protective sheet. In addition, galvanized objects may be deburred without removal of or damage to the zinc layer.

As mentioned, the treatment is completely uniform, which is of great importance, in particular where the method is applied for deburring, as the object is treated such that a completely uniform treatment is achieved by passage during the combined movement comprising rotation, revolving movement and transverse movement which the wire rollers perform.

When, as stated in claim 2, spring wire is used, the effect will be strong because of the inertia which brings about the desired impact stresses when the wire strikes the object.

When, as stated in claim 3, the wire is curved, so that, around the centre, it bows forwardly in the direction of rotation, an expedient impact angle will be achieved and thereby a maximum impact stress, and when the wire is twisted to form an eye, the wire may be mounted on a stay in the roller, and the individual wire turns will give an expedient damping of the wire because of the friction between the turns. After mounting, the rearmost part of the wire will bring about additional inertia, which will give an enhanced impact stress and also a good fixing of the position of the treating wire part because of the centrifugal force, which affects the wire as well as the wire extension which will be pressed against the adjacent stay.

Thus, the extension of the wire prevents the wire from being moved rearwards during the rotation, thereby intensifying the effect of the impact stress.

When, as stated in claim 4, this method is applied for removing surface coatings, an effective and very gentle treatment is achieved.

When, as stated in claim 5, the method is applied for improving the adhesion, a uniformly treated surface having uniform adhesion properties is ensured.

Finally, as stated in claim 6, it is expedient to apply the method for impact hardening, strain hardening, of metal objects, which thereby become more resistant in use.

THE DRAWING

The invention will be described more fully below with reference to the drawing, in which

FIG. 1 shows a system for performing the method, seen from above,

FIG. 2 shows a longitudinal section through a wire roller, seen in the direction II-II in FIG. 3,

FIG. 3 shows a cross-section through the wire roller, seen in the direction III-IlI in FIG. 2, and

FIG. 4 shows a single wire and its movements in operation.

DESCRIPTION OF AN EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT

The method according to the invention will be described below with reference to FIG. 1, which shows the principle of the surface treatment of objects 7, which may be metal or plastics objects, which are either to be surface-cleaned, deburred, surface-hardened or to be subjected in another manner to an impact stress provided by the wire.

The objects 7 are preferably arranged on a conveyor belt 11, which may be a magnetic belt or a vacuum belt.

The objects 7 are moved inwards below the wire rollers 15, of which six are provided in the example shown. Each roller 15 is mounted on a shaft 6 which is caused to rotate and preferably such that adjacent wire rollers 15 are rotated in opposite directions, as indicated by arrows 8.

The radially disposed rollers 15 are mounted in a revolving head which revolves around a vertical shaft 13, as indicated by an arrow 12.

Finally, the revolving head with the rollers is moved across the belt 11 with the objects 7, as indicated by an arrow 14 at the bottom of the figure.

The treatment of the objects 7 is thus a combination of three movements, viz. partly a revolving movement of the individual wire rollers 15, partly a rotation 12 of the shafts 6 with the wire rollers 11, and finally a reciprocal movement 14 of the equipment over the conveyor belt 11.

This ensures an even and uniform treatment of all objects on the side as well as on edges and surfaces, no matter whether these extend in the same or different levels.

The wire roller according to the invention will now be described.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the wire roller 15 is constructed on the basis of flanges 5 between which stays 4, extending mutually in parallel, are mounted, said stays being equidistantly positioned around the flange 5, as shown in FIG. 3.

Wire elements are inserted on these stays 4, said wire elements being uniformly bent and configured to form a wire I which treats the object, as will be described later.

FIG. 3 shows the actual configuration of the wire element, and it is noted that the wire is bent to form an eye 2 through which the stay 4 may extend, and such that the wire element may revolve around this stay.

The free end I of the wire is curved, as indicated in FIG. 3, such that it points forwardly in its direction of rotation 8.

The opposite end of the wire, after the eye 2, is configured as an end 3 which extends between the eye 2 and engages the adjacent stay 4, as shown in FIG. 3. It is ensured hereby that the wire element 1, 2, 3 assumes the correct position during the rotation of the roller about its centre axis 6.

The wire element itself is shown in FIG. 4, which shows the position of the wire before it strikes an object 7.

The roller rotates in the direction of the arrow 8 at the same time as either the roller revolves 12 around the object and/or the object 7 is moved below the roller, e.g. on a vacuum belt 11.

When the wire end I hits the object 7, it will strike into this with a certain strength to create a blow, as the wire 1 will be secured in the position shown because of the engagement of the rearmost piece of wire 3 with the adjacent stay 4.

Spring wire is advantageously used, which is wear-resistant, and which has a suitable elasticity, but other materials, such as plastics wire and the like, may be used.

The wire diameter may e.g. be about 2 mm, the free end about 100 mm, and the rear end 3 about 60 mm. Other dimensions may be used, provided that the mutual ratios essentially correspond to this.

The wire may optionally be moved a small distance around the stay 4, as indicated by the arrow 10, just as it may bounce, as indicated by the arrow 9.

Immediately hereafter, the centrifugal force will move the spring element back to the starting position, as shown in FIG. 4, whereby the wire will have the same position at the next impact against the object 7.

The stop, which is formed by the adjacent stay 4, ensures that all the wires are secured in the same position, as indicated in FIGS. 3 and 4, during the rotation. 

1. A method for surface treatment of an object, which is preferably placed on a conveyor belt with a view to being advanced and treated by wires on one or more rotating wire rollers, characterized in that each wire roller (15) rotates (8) about a shaft (5) extending radially form a revolving shaft (13) which revolves (12), and wherein the revolving shaft (13) and the wire rollers (15) are moved transversely (14) to the conveyor belt (11) at the same time, so that the object (7) is treated from all sides with a uniform impact stress from the wires (1) on the wire rollers (15).
 2. A wire roller for performing the method according to claim 1, characterized in that the individual wires (1, 2, 3) are made of a piece of spring wire.
 3. A wire roller according to claim 2, characterized in that the free end (1) of each wire is curved and provided with an eye (2) which may extend around a stay (4) on the roller (5), and with a rearwardly directed wire end (3) which extends in a direction toward an adjacent stay (4) such that the wire end (3) engages the stay (4) in the working position of the wire (1) during the rotation (8) of the roller (15) and is thereby secured in this position during the treatment of the object (7).
 4. Use of the method according to claim 1, characterized in that it is used for cleaning the surface of objects of coatings, oxide layers, etc.
 5. Use of the method according to claim 1, characterized in that it is used for generating adhesion roughnesses for optional subsequent surface treatment.
 6. Use of the method according to claim 1, characterized in that it is used for strain hardening. 